Economic Infrastructure Development Afghanistan(EIDA I & II) Prequalification Notice Publication (Short notice)

Prequalification Notice for Construction Work for Rehabilitation of Channel Irrigation System Ref. Nr. Tender No. BMZ ID 2015 67 759 Country Afghanistan Tendering Authority Project Executing

Agency KfW Development Bank Project Implementing Agencies

(Tender Agents) MRRD

Mr. Baryalai Helali Program Director

for Regional Program (RP)

Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and

Development (MRRD)

Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Kabul/Afghanistan

Kathrein Tallowitz-Rojas Arteaga

Vergabemanagerin KfW Entwicklungsbank

Abteilung Lee3 Palmengartenstr. 5-9

60325 Frankfurt a. M., Federal Republic of Germany

Aga Khan Foundation/Mercy Corps, Afghanistan- House # 1010, Street # 5, Qala-e-Fathullah Kabul Afghanistan Af-tender-questions@mercycorps.org

Sector Construction of channel irrigation systems Brief description of the Project

The project focuses on the rehabilitation of dysfunctional or inefficient small irrigation systems in order to increase wheat production. The scope of the single investment financed through this project shall be within the range of 200,000 EUR to 500,000 EUR (average of 900 EUR/ha). Depending on the exact financial volume of each single measure, it is currently estimated that about 30 infrastructure measures can be implemented.

Request for Services The following components of works will need to be carried out by the Contractor - Construction of intake structure including flushing sluice, and guide walls. - Construction of weirs - Construction of wash pass - Construction of flow distribution structures - Construction of aqueducts - River diversions to divert flow - De-silting structures near wash pass - Construction of cofferdams and dewatering for the construction works of the project.

Type of Bidder Independent Contractors Finance Source

German Development Bank (KfW)

Further Information Further information (in English) including PQ document is available from the Tender Agent upon written request at the address given above. It will be sent electronically (by e-mail) only. No liability will be accepted for loss or late delivery

Application details Submission of 1 original and 2 copies in English Language to the address of the Tender Agent Deadline of receipt 9th January, 2020 Documents to be submitted

Corporate profile and status, evidence of financial resources and expertise in relation to the size of the contract. -successfully executed two construction projects of comparable nature - submit audited balance sheets and profit & loss accounts for the last three years - relevant references to prove technical qualifications and experience abroad, in the region or country, - details on the Contractor’s personnel who will provide services and back-up services from the head office - Declaration of undertaking and other documents pursuant to Section IV of the Prequalification document. A detail of list of documents to be submitted with the application is provided in section ‘III-B: Qualification Criteria” (page 14 through 18) of the Pre-qualification document which can be obtained from the Tender Agent ( Af-tender-questions@mercycorps.org ) through e-mail.

Duration The Contract will be a construction contract The defects liability period shall be 12 months after the Certificate of Substantial Completion is issued

” ”Volume No. 4333 Tuesday December 10, 2019 Qaws 19, 1398 www.outlookafghanistan.net Price: 20/-Afs

Quote of the Day

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are

caught as often as the bold.

Helen Keller

Fear

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the international community on Monday to boost investments in

Afghanistan during “sensitive” times the country has been going through.

Turkey Calls for More Int’l Investment in Afghanistan

ISANBUL - Erdogan’s remarks came at the 8th Ministerial Con-ference of Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process convened at Dolmabahce Palace under Peace, Partnership, Prosperity theme.“Afghanistan has been going through a sensitive period. As in-ternational community, we need to boost the investments we have been making for Afghanistan for the last 18 years,” Erdogan said.He also emphasized “regional cooperation” to tackle problems the South Asia region has been facing.“I believe that the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process is also very use-ful and effective in providing regional support for peace,” he

said.Erdogan said while the interna-tional community was commit-ted to its pledges to Afghanistan, it is important that the Afghan government also fulfills its obli-gations.“We welcome the positive steps taken by the Afghan government in the implementation of the Mu-tual Accountability Framework adopted in Geneva last year,” Er-dogan said.He added that Turkey would do its best to eradicate Daesh/ISIS terror group in Afghanistan.The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Pro-cess -- a regional initiative of Af-ghanistan and Turkey launched in 2011 -- ...(More on P4)...(2)

KABUL - On the sideline of the 8th Heart of -Asia Istanbul Process Ministerial Conference, high- ranking delegates of Afghanistan, US and Uzbekistan met to discuss issues of com-mon interest and important areas of coopera-tion, according to a statement on Monday.Acting Foreign Minister Idrees Zaman met with the Special Representative of Uzbeki-stan’s President Ismatulla Ergashev and the US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, for the first time under a trilateral framework.The three sides, in the first trilateral meeting, discussed and exchanged views on a range of important issues of common interest and ar-eas of cooperation.

KABUL - Afghan MPs have approved the Law on Protection of Child Rights--the Child Pro-tection Act--on Monday after years of wran-gling over the legal age of boys and girls.Now, according to the law, boys and girls un-der the age of 18 are considered children.The law will help victims of the illegal practice of Bacha Bazi and it will prohibit the recruit-ment of children as soldiers.The law has 16 chapters and 118 articles.Along with prohibiting the misuse and abuse

KABUL - Afghan politician Mohammad Halim Tanwir has said in a gathering, if he was in power he would have married Hazara girls to Pashtoon men for the social equality.A video clip of Mohammad Halim Tanwir, Af-ghan politician has gone viral on Social media in which he says he would have married Haz-ara girls to Pashtoon men if he was in power in order to end the social inequality.I would not let anyone to rise up in the name of tribe or ethnicity, Tanwir says.“Most educational resources are taken to a valley and small area, even a football stadium has been constructed where no one yes yet played there, but in the Kabul university en-

The discussions focused on the establishment of a strategic partnership between Afghani-stan and Uzbekistan, bilateral cooperation to-wards enhanced trade and transit between the two countries, Afghanistan’s participation in C5+1, US support to the regional connectivity and trade, free trade by Afghan entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan, expanded people to people re-lations between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, and consultations to explore opportunities for mutual investments in the two countries.The meeting also agreed to convene the next RECCA meeting in Tashkent early next year, and that the next trilateral meeting will be held on the sideline of the next RECCA meet-ing. (Pajhwok)

of children, the law will secure the rights of children for citizenship, identity, and birth registration. Also, the law establishes freedom for children of religious minorities as well as the right of access to services, and the right to education.More than half of Afghanistan’s children don’t have adequate living standards. Access to food, education, water and sanitation as well as other basic services is severely limited. (TOLO NEWS)

trance examination only 6 people from Paktya province succeed only, pointing to Panjshir province, he says.“For the rights equality Afghanistan, Dostum, Mohaqqiq and others should be killed”, he adds.Mohammad Mohaqqiq, a Hazara tribal leader reacted to this statement and asked the UN agencies to investigate this matter.“The statement by Dr. Tanwir is risky at this very sensitive situation in Afghanistan. The UN agencies must take it serious and run an investigation on such matters”, Mohaqqiq told Khaama Press.“Tanwir is a ...(More on P4)...(3)

www.outlookafghanistan.netfacebook.com/The.Daily.Outlook.Afghanistan

Email: outlookafghanistan@gmail.comPhone: 0093 (799) 005019/777-005019

Add: In front of Habibia High School, District 3, Kabul, Afghanistan

First Afghanistan, US, Uzbekistan Trilateral Meeting Held in Istanbul

Afghan MPs Approve Law on Protection of Children

Tanwir: I Would Marry Hazara Girls to Pashtoon Men If I Was in Power

Govt Needs Stronger Anti-Corruption Measures: Danish

KABUL - Sarwar Danish, Afghan-istan’s second vice president, ad-dressed a gathering on Monday-- International Anti-Corruption Day-- and said: “Despite some achievements, we have not been completely successful in fighting against corruption.”“The government needs to ap-point “clean” people as leaders in every organization in order to fight corruption,” Danish said, adding: “Outside the government we also need strong organizations to fight against corruption.”“We need strong financial con-trols in government organizations – especially in financial depart-ments -- to stop corruption,” Dan-ish said.He believes that the media “can also play a key role in fighting against corruption with investi-gative reporting and disclosing information. They are doing it but we need more.”“Registration of a government employee’s property--and mon-itoring--are very important,” he said. “We need to ask govern-ment officials about where they earn their property. If we do this the corruption will end at the gov-ernment organizations.”The government must improve

the living conditions of govern-ment employees if it wants to stop corruption, he added.In the meantime, UNAMA in a

statement on Monday said that the UN “reiterates its support” for Afghanistan’s initiatives to fight corruption, and acknowledges

steps made to “challenge impu-nity.” “The UN welcomes the leg-islative, policy and institutional improvements ...(More on P4)...(1)

Economic Infrastructure Development Afghanistan(EIDA I & II) Prequalification Notice Note: This Notice is open for both National and International construction contractors

JALALABAD - Police in eastern Nangarhar province have arrested 99 suspected criminals and recov-ered hundreds of weapons and hun-dreds kilograms of drugs in the past two weeks, an official said on Mon-day.Governor Shah Mahmood Meiakhel told reporters that police have arrest-ed 99 suspected individuals in con-nection to kidnapping, trafficking, family violence, murder, robbery, drugs, links with armed groups and some other criminal activities.He said police conducted 34 joint operations along with other security institutions in Shinwari, Kot, Sher-zad, Khogyano districts and parts of Jalalabad City in the past two week.Ninety-nine suspected criminals had been arrested, 32 insurgents killed and 975 kilograms of drugs recov-ered during these operations, the governor added.Police Chief Col. Emal Niyazi said among the detained suspected crim-inals, 11 were held in connection to human trafficking, one for murder, one for sexual case, three over an

KABUL - The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum says significant progress on the multibillion Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pa-kistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project.Practical work of the project would start soon, Abdul Qader Mutafi, spokesman for MoMP, told Pajhwok Afghan News in an exclusive interview.Considerable had been achieved the gas project, including work on legal procedures, administra-tive issues, financial and techni-cal studies.Mutafi said several legal docu-ments regarding the scheme, in-cluding agreements among gov-ernments and regulations, had been approved and signed.Project statusMutafi said the gas pipeline pro-ject was being implemented in accordance with the plan and timetable and had made good progress. The first phase of the project involves finalisation of a legal framework, land management, technical surveys and funding.He informed the government of Afghanistan had inked a key agreement under the legal frame-work. A number of other accords are ready and would be signed

KABUL - Three employees of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) have sought asylum in the United Kingdom, a source said on Mon-day.A former board official, who de-clined to be named, confided to Pajhwok Afghan News the three workers had gone to England along with the disabled cricket team.In response to their requests, the UK government had provided them with multiple visas.The individuals who had sought asylum were media officer, Bakht-yar Sahil, team fizeau Dr. Khaksar and Sami Hashimi, IT manager of the ACB.He said the three employees had travelled again to London to seek asylum after returning home.Another source in ACB, speaking

HELMAND - The Helmand activ-ists who traveled to all provinces last year in a quest for peace have once again begun a countrywide journey calling for a ceasefire be-tween the conflicting sides.The journey, named “From Hel-mand to Helmand” began on Sunday. Last time the world fa-mous protesters walked on foot, but this time they will travel in cars. Last year the group traveled to al-most 20 provinces and held pro-test camps outside different for-eign embassies and international organizations in Kabul. Their initial group is around 25 people, but a member of the People’s Peace Movement--or the Peace Convoy--said their num-bers will grow as they visit each province.

PAKTIA - Afghan Police Special Forces have seized tens of kilo-grams of narcotics during the op-eration in Ahmad Aba district of Paktia.The office of Police Command in Paktia said that the Afghan forces have seized 238 kilograms of pro-cessed cannabis along with two Kalashnikovs in Spina Qala area of Paktia.According to the source, no one has been detained in this regard.It is worth mentioning that the recent report by SIGAR indicated that United States has spent $8.94 billion on counter-narcotics efforts in Afghanistan since 2002, but this country still remains one of the world’s major drug producers and exporters. (THE KILLID GROUP)

WARDAK - According to a state-ment released by Ministry of In-terior (MoI), at least 25 Taliban insurgents have been killed in Sayed Abad district of Maidan Wardak, Monday [December 9, 2019].The statement added that Afghan Police Special Forces under the command of Deputy Minister Security, General Khushal Sadat launched a military operation against Taliban in the district.According to the source, during the operation, 25 Taliban mili-tants have been reportedly killed, and one of their safe havens have been dismantled.The statement also added that a series of Taliban’s roadside mines, weapons and explosives have been ...(More on P4)...(8)

MoMP Sees Significant Progress on TAPI Project

Nangarhar Police Apprehends 99 Alleged Criminals in Past 2 Weeks

At Least 25 Taliban Insurgents Killed in Wardak

3 ACB Workers Seek Asylum in London

Helmand Activists Begin Another Nationwide Journey

Tens of Kilograms of Narcotics Seized in Paktia

soon.There were enough funds to im-plement the pipeline, he claimed, saying the Asian Development Bank recently evinced an inter-est in providing $1billion for the project.Benefits of TAPIThe official said Afghanistan would annually earn $400 mil-

lion in transit fee from the project, which would create jobs for thou-sands of Afghans.He added the residents of ar-eas, through which the pipeline would pass, would benefit from gas. As part of the project, roads will be constructed in Afghani-stan, whose economy will see a boost.

General informationStaying on the drawing-board for over 15 years, the TAPI gas pipeline project was approved by leaders of the four countries in Ashgabat on Dec. 12, 2010.The 1814-km gas pipeline is ex-pected to deliver 33BCM natural gas to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India per annum. (Pajhwok)

Dec 10, 2019 - An intense phone call, perhaps some kind of cry for help, could come today from a relative or close friend. You’re more strongly equipped than usual to help someone in need, but try to stay objective. The person may be exaggerating the situation or confused

about its true nature. In fact, all communications could be confusing. It may be difficult to separate fears from reality.

Dec 10, 2019 - Inspiration could hit you today like a bolt from the blue. Your imagination, innovation, and ingenuity are high. Whatever you de-vise or discover should attract a lot of positive attention. Your nerves could

be a bit stressed, so try to remain calm and not get too flustered if you hit a few roadblocks here and there.

Dec 10, 2019 - Help with a creative project - either working on the project or promot-ing it in some way - could come from an unexpected quarter, increasing your inspi-ration. This is an excellent time to present anything you’ve done to the public or to

those who matter. You’re feeling especially innovative, and you should make the most of it. You might be sur-prised by what you accomplish.

Down

Across Yesterday’s Solution

1. Open one-horse carriage, 2. Puzzler, 3. Citrus drink, 4. School session, 5. Anagram of “Sees”, 6. A small handbook, 7. Unreactive, 8. Filly’s mother, 9. It comes from a hen, 10. Chauffeurs, 13. A type of rhododendron, 14. Distribute, 15. German iris, 16. Increases, 19. Type of poplar tree, 22. Kill, 24. A heavy damask, 26. Brute, 27. Chief Ex-ecutive Officer, 30. Italian for “Wine”, 32. Gorilla, 33. Domesticated, 34. Wind sock, 35. Rats, 38. Any cone-bearing tree, 39. Tallest mountain, 40. Waste conduit, 42. Andean animals, 44. Hit hard, 45. Emergency signal, 48. Search, 49. Auspices, 50. Coarse file, 53. Bleat, 55. Grippe

1. Wooden box, 6. Mimicked, 11. Deputies, 12. A word with the same set of letters, 15. Commands, 16. Arouse, 17. Disencumber, 18. Quantify, 20. Big wine holder, 21. Part in a play, 23. Leave in a hurry, 24. Expunge, 25. Holly, 26. Iridescent gem, 27. Center, 28. Arid29. Hair goop, 30. Vice ___, 31. Pinkish flower, 34. Stone fruit, 36. Buff, 37. Frosts, 41. Learn-ing method, 42. Large luxurious car, 43. Sheltered nook, 44. Portend, 45. A flat mass of ice, 46. Was cognizant, 47. Era, 48. Defamation, 51. Anger, 52. Rays of sunlight, 54. Electrician, 56. Ancient Greek mistress, 57. Small islands, 58. Purposes, 59. Gush forth

Outlook Horoscope

Pisces (Feb.19-Mar.20)

Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb.18)

Capricorn (Dec.21-Jan19)

Scorpio (Oct.23-Nov.22)

Libra (Sep 23-Oct. 22)Cancer (June 21-July 20)

Sagittarius (Nov.23-Dec.20)

Leo (July 21-Aug. 21)Taurus (Apr.21-May 20)

Aries (Mar. 22-Apr.20)

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Virgo (Aug. 22-Sep 22 )

Dec 10, 2019 - Mood swings and irritating lit-tle distractions could have you temporarily at odds with a partner. You may perceive in-sults where none are intended. Communica-tion is strained. It’s best to get out by yourself

for a while and do something entertaining. That way you chase all the negative energy away. You can be your old charming self when you see your partner again.

Dec 10, 2019 - Today you might host some kind of group activity or meeting in your home. A number of interesting people could attend. Some may have a lot of good ideas to share. This is a good day to

work toward financial gain either for you or for a cause that means a lot to you. If fundraising is an issue, you should come up with some great plans.

Dec 10, 2019 - Your mind is going a thousand miles an hour. Different ideas, interests, goals, and projects could dart through your mind all day. Write them down! Go through the list to see which

ideas are workable, which are immediate, and which can wait for later. Take a long walk before bed or you might not be able to sleep.

Dec 10, 2019 - This is a good day to keep a low profile. Any attention that comes your way today is suspect. Don’t trust the mo-tives of anyone who asks too many ques-

tions or who seems too interested in anything you’re do-ing. This isn’t a good day to start new projects or move forward with any new acquaintances. Lose yourself in the pursuit of your own interests.

Dec 10, 2019 - Occultism, alchemy, or as-trology could grab your interest today. You might attend a lecture or workshop on the subject, or you could sign up for a

class. Your mind is sharp, so whatever you decide to study you’ll learn faster and retain more. Reading and experi-mentation could teach you a lot now. Other possibilities include meditation, ritual, or past-life regression.

Dec 10, 2019 - Today you might have lots of plans for the future. Ideas could come thick and fast. You might find it difficult to decide which ones are most workable. You should be especially inspired, inno-

vative, and enthusiastic. This is a good day to make plans and formulate ideas for creative projects.

Dec 10, 2019 - A night of troubled sleep and strange dreams might have you feel-ing listless and lacking in motivation. Pull yourself together. Opportunities

may come your way that you’ll want to take advan-tage of. You’ll come up with some interesting new ideas. Your energy level could go up and down, how-ever. Eat properly and stay focused in order to make the most of the planetary energies.

Dec 10, 2019 - Experiments with comput-ers or other technology could reveal a hidden talent you didn’t know you had. You could decide to work at developing

this skill as it could open doors that increase your income. Friends could help you either with this or other matters. By day’s end you’ll feel more focused than you were earlier.

Dec 10, 2019 - Friends involved in the arts and sciences may want to get to-gether today, perhaps to brainstorm a

few ideas. You should be feeling innovative. Per-haps you have a lot to contribute. Group activities should prove satisfying, particularly those involv-ing humanitarian pursuits. This promises to be a busy, stimulating day. Don’t try to do too much and burn yourself out.

almost awesome bald bet-ter boast buddy casino cent cuddle deaf flyer gentle hide literature loving mercy monster muddy occasion pardon peas peelplenty ratio relax report re-turn rout scientific sludge spender state ...

attack on a house, 13 for inflicting injuries on others, eight over falsely claiming ownership of goods, five over family violence, four for rob-bery, two former prisoners who es-caped from jail, six for smuggling of mobile phones and drugs and one persons for producing low quality soap.He said 21 suspects had been ar-rested for possessing 975 kilograms of drugs, 21 held over links with militants groups, including 13 Daesh rebels with as many weapons. Two more suspects had been held over smuggling of foreign currency and three persons were arrested for links with foreign militants.Niyazi said police in collaboration with other security institutions re-covered three caches of weapons, suicide jackets, over two hundred different bullets and some other am-munition during raids.He said in the past people were un-able to easily travel to districts but now government officials could eas-ily travel to foreign countries. (Pajh-wok)

Main News PageDecember 10, 20192

on condition of anonymity, told Pajhwok one of the three indi-viduals had created a fake email address in the name of an official and thus received a visa from the UK embassy.The source alleged former chief executive officer of ACB Asadul-lah Khan was also involved in the sordid saga.Pajhwok tried to contact Asa-dullah Khan for comments, but failed.Babrak Omar, a cricket expert, said he had also come to know about the escape of the three ACB employees.He added Azadi Radio journalist Wasil Wesal, who had been pro-vided a UK visa by ACB, had also fled to London.“I have heard rumors that a num-ber of ...(More on P4)...(6)

“The journey will start in Hel-mand and will end in Helmand, peace activist Mohammad Nekzad said. “We will raise the people’s will for peace and we will ask for a ceasefire.” “Last time, we traveled to 20 provinces and this time we will travel to 34 provinces and we will call for a ceasefire,” said peace activist Sayed Hamidullah Khan-jari. Other members of the movement say they call on the Taliban to agree to a ceasefire and to begin intra-Afghan negotiations at the earliest time possible. “We say to the international com-munity that we want an immedi-ate ceasefire. We are tired of war and we want peace,” peace activ-ist Nasir Nasiri said. “We call ...(More on P4)...(7)

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind

December 10, 2019

Delay in Elections Results: Human and Economic Consequences

Preliminary results from Afghanistan’s September 28 presidential election that was expected to be reported on October 19 – have been delayed for

several months. The main reason for the delays was to further ensure the transparency of the electoral process and restore the people’s confidence in it. De-laying the announcement of the Preliminary results has made worried the people; some election candi-dates including CEO Abdullah and Hekmatyar are staging demonstrations in the different parts of the country. Considering the week security, many Af-ghan citizens fear suicide attacks or clashes between the demonstrators and security forces. Many other people fear being looted. As a result they prefer not come out of their homes if not very necessary. Busi-nessmen and shopkeepers usually keep closed their shops and businesses. This causes the rise of the pric-es. Some parents do not allow their children to go to school and some university students’ cannot attend their classes. Further delay in announcing presidential elections will further disappoint the people. Thus, they will further lose their trust to the Afghan election bod-ies. Therefore, we will witness more low turnout in the coming elections. In addition to this, delay in an-nouncing presidential electionsDelay in announcing presidential elections, gives chance to the presidential candidates to weigh fraud-ulent opportunities and buy some of the IEC and ECC commissioners to change the results for their benefits. Delay in Announcing the elections results under-mines electoral transparency. In all societies, espe-cially in the Afghan society with a week democratic background, delay in announcing presidential elec-tions, makes the people and the politicians suspicious to the process. Given the previous elections and the widespread electoral fraud, those Afghan politicians who know them don’t have much votes will incite ethnic, religious and language tensions among the people. This will shape a supportive mindset among the supporters of those electoral teams who reject the results and their supporters will accept their po-litically motivated arguments. As a result, the will doubt about the transparency of the process and will consider the results as illegitimate decision. Delay in announcing presidential elections under-mines the power of the government in the Afghan peace talks. Taliban has not accepted to talk to the Afghan government so far. Any electoral conflict gives them the opportunity to further undermine the legitimacy of Afghan government in the talks. It is clear that the US and Taliban may soon reach an agreement and the Afghan government shall start and lead the Intra-Afghan talks. Consensus building in the Intra-Afghan talks is fundamental for a win-win peace deal. As a result, if the government and other Afghan politicians do not reach a consensus on the talks due to electoral tensions, we will not be able to stand against the Taliban as a united team, and we may lose many democratic achievements gained dur-ing past 18 years. Delay in announcing presidential primary results have worried the Afghans. They are keen the results to be announced. Of course, ensuring electoral trans-parency and accountability shall be ensured; howev-er, the process shall be accelerated. What now mat-ters for the Afghans and the international community is the Afghan peace talks. It is vital for the Afghan government to reach a consensus on the peace pro-cess through engaging all political parties, Afghan politicians, civil society organizations and all ethnic groups. The last but not the least, women participa-tion is a must in the peace talks.

Chairman / Editor-in-Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Vice Chairman / Exec. Editor: Moh. Sakhi Rezaie

Email: outlookafghanistan@gmail.comPhone: 0093 (799) 005019/777-005019

www.outlookafghanistan.net

Today is coincided with International Anti-Corruption Day which annually marked on December 9th. At the outset, it began with the adoption of the United Nations Convention against Corruption in

2003, which Afghanistan ratified in 2008. In Afghanistan, corruption came to be recognized as one of the key impediments to Afghanistan’s development and stability after 2001. Globally, every year about $1 trillion is paid as bribes while an estimated $2.6 trillion are stolen annually through corruption – a sum equivalent to more than 5 per cent of the global GDP. In developing countries, according to the United Nations Development Programme, the funds lost to corruption are estimated at 10 times the amount of official de-velopment assistance. No country, region or community is immune from corruption in the world. Therefore, Corruption should be considered as a se-rious crime undermining social and economic development in all societies.Corruption affects all aspects of life, eroding public trust and confidence in government institutions and hindering efforts to bring lasting peace and prosperity to the country. Corruption also undermines rule of law and opens the door to more crime, creating a vicious cycle that fosters a culture of impunity. Studies show that nations which fight corruption and improve their rule of law can increase their national income by 400%. Fighting cor-ruption is a key enabler of a self-reliant Afghanistan. Therefore, the govern-ment has to pay particular attention to effective management and oversight of customs, procurement and overall take fundamental measure against corruption. In War-torn countries such as Afghanistan, it will not only endanger the prospects of peace and national integrity, but also push back the interna-tional aid from Afghanistan. The latest example for this was the US aid with-drawal from the country. As pointed out, corruption increase the distance between government and citizens. In the current year, Asia Foundation Sur-vey shows that 81.5% of Afghan respondents think corruption as a major problem in Afghanistan. The reason for this is that corruption in Afghani-stan has long history and it will be hard to root out in short time. Undeni-ably, some of NUG moves are appreciated but the history rooted corruption needs historic will to bring deep and structural reform in the country. Today, marking the International Anti-Corruption Day, the second vice president, Sarwar Danish also confessed, “Despite some achievements, we have not been completely successful in fighting against corruption.”“The government needs to appoint honest people as leaders in every organiza-tion in order to fight corruption,” Danish said, adding: “Outside the govern-ment we also need strong organizations to fight against corruption.”“We need strong financial controls in government organizations – especially in financial departments -- to stop corruption,” Danish said. The government must improve the living conditions of government employees if it wants to stop corruption, he added.

The views and opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authers and do not reflect the views or opinions of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan.

You can be talented, handsome, rhetorically skilled, and politically brave, and yet suffer for it. In the long run, prudence and restraint are crucial ingredients of successful leadership, and it is precisely

these two qualities that, up to now, French President Emmanuel Macron appears to lack.Macron wants to lead the European Union into the twenty-first century. But he will succeed only if he does not go too far. If he overplays his hand, he will open himself up to a challenge from some other rising political leader. That could happen whenever Germany emerges from its domestic political malaise, if other member states decide to form a coalition against France, or if Macron alienates too many key players within the EU. The greater Ma-cron’s ambitions, the higher the risk to his political future.Politically, Macron is a contradiction in terms. A vocal anti-populist who employs populist tools, he has dismissed traditional political parties and called for politicians to be replaced by ordinary people. Accordingly, he insists that his La République En Marche ! is not, in fact, a political party, and that he is neither of the left nor the right. The main difference is that his program is not nationalist but pro-European, almost cosmopolitan, and that he opposes other populists. But his pro-European stance goes only as far as French economic interests allow, as he demonstrated when selecting nominees for the EU’s top jobs earlier this year.Moreover, it is worth remembering that Macron led the push for tighter regulations on “posted workers” – particularly those from Poland and Hungary – back in 2017, and that his toughest attack on Central and East-ern European populists was delivered from a French Whirlpool factory that was scheduled to move to Poland. Macron may sincerely want deeper Eu-ropean integration, but that did not stop him from nationalizing a French shipyard to prevent it from being purchased by an Italian firm.More recently, Macron has taken another page from the populist playbook by pursuing warmer relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and declaring NATO “brain dead” – language that was likely met with cheers in the Kremlin. Macron’s warning about NATO was meant as a wake-up call for Europe to secure its own defense autonomy. It was also a reminder that France is a nuclear power, meaning it does not have to hide the doubts that other European leaders won’t voice. Thanks to Macron’s efforts, Russia returned to the Council of Europe in June, following its suspension in 2014 in response to the annexation of Crimea. Then, at an ambassador’s conference in August, Macron voiced support for Russia’s return to the G8, and warned French diplomats not to stand in the way of his overtures to Putin. And in bilateral talks with Putin at France’s Fort de Brégançon that same month, it was Macron, not his guest, who spoke of a Europe that extends from Lisbon to Vladivostok.But EU-Russia diplomacy is not the only area where Macron has been flex-ing his muscles. In October, he issued a surprise veto against EU accession negotiations with Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia, and he has since described Bosnia-Herzegovina as a “ticking time bomb.” Both moves are seemingly at odds with his pro-European stance, and doubtless

International Anti-Corruption Day Marked in Afghanistan

Macron Alone

One of the strategies against corruption which has been used in the coun-try was largely focusing on recruiting and competing on government po-sitions. The officials from the Administrative Reform Commission have repeatedly spoken of their achievements and successes in the recruitment process, but that has not been reflected in society and has not found its place in the public’s minds. Even, if we talk about balance and justice in the field of the country’s recruitment system, it seems unacceptable in public opin-ion. The next challenge is an old mentality that is actively institutionalized in all administrative sectors of the country. Still, everyone in any position, think that the office under his control belongs to a particular ethnicity, which himself belong to. Still there are efforts to prevent certain ethnic and po-litical groups from many of the country’s departments. For example, the security sector, ministry of foreign affairs and financial and economic sector are still prohibited areas for many citizens of the country. No one can hide the fact that the diplomatic apparatus and ministry of foreign affairs of the country were persistently monopolized by a small number of those who were close relatives of senior politicians and senior officials.In such environment the talents and meritocracy are killed in the country. These are a few examples but many of the offices are in the same condition. Even the scientific and cultural institutions of the country are also suffering from the same condition. For example, along with dozens of scientific and research offices, there is an office called the “Academy of Sciences”, appar-ently they are responsible for the country’s scientific and research affairs but they are engulfed with a certain circle of monopoly that do not accept any kind of modernization. These are only parts of some structural corrup-tion in the country’s administration, which has largely challenged the fight against corruption. Therefore, we can call the corruption in Afghanistan as a monstrous threat that still threatens our collective life, and we have a long way to go.Overall, the NUG moves are appreciated against corruption but as above-mentioned, the history rooted corruption needs strong political will to bring deep reform in the country. Deep reform is not only important in terms of fighting against corruption but also important in national trust and national unity. We need to push through key civil service reforms and ensuring the verification of asset declarations of all senior public officials and the imposi-tion of sanctions for failure to register. The government should continue its recent progress in simplifying business processes and reducing red tape in order to further reduce the opportunities for administrative corruption. To end with, the government departments, business, civil society organiza-tions and donors need to work together in the fight against corruption in Afghanistan.

Editorial and Opinions3

By: Sławomir Sierakowski delighted Putin.In fact, Macron’s recent maneuvers are clearly in his own personal interest. His embrace of Putin is probably meant to head off a challenge from the French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whose past financial backers have included Russian banks with ties to the Kremlin. And by blocking North Macedonia’s and Albania’s accession, he is preventing any further strength-ening of the EU’s Central and East European bloc, which could overbalance France’s voice in the European Council.More broadly, Macron’s France finds itself in a geopolitical vacuum that was created by Brexit in the United Kingdom, the rise of populists and na-tionalists in Italy, Catalonian secessionism in Spain, and the consolidation of illiberal regimes in Central and Eastern Europe. The only reliable play-ers left on the field are Germany and insular northern countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark. Because a Le Pen victory over Macron would strike a death blow to the EU itself, Germany has tolerated the French presi-dent’s ambitious initiatives. But its patience is wearing thin.At the end of the day, the rules of the game in Europe are still set by Ger-many – and more specifically by Chancellor Angela Merkel. The problem is that Germany is too small to lead Europe on its own, yet too big not to do so. That is why Macron would push through his choice of candidate for the head of the European Commission only when he found a German. Germany could not force through its own candidate, so it had to accept Ma-cron’s German for the job (now filled by Ursula von der Leyen, a former defense minister).Nonetheless, Macron’s recent behavior has made things more difficult for the Germans, who want incremental change rather than revolution. His warnings about NATO imply that Germany will need to expand its defense capabilities, for which there is little support among German voters. If Ma-cron is overly insistent, he could provoke German anger and resistance. But Macron, like many others in Europe, has had enough of Germany’s own unilateralism on questions such as whether to admit refugees from Syria and Iraq, or whether to ban arms exports to Saudi Arabia. He most likely wants to strike a deal with Merkel’s successor – be it German Minister of Defense Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer or someone else – on the EU bud-get, the question of expansion, and the role of French firms in Germany’s defense build-up.Historically, French diplomacy excels at grand bargains. But under Merkel, Germany has avoided such agreements, preferring the status quo or incre-mental changes, because it usually wound up paying extra. For his part, Macron’s hyperactive diplomacy exposes a post-imperial inferiority com-plex, the symptoms of which – whether Brexit or Putinism – are impeding Europe’s normalization, and hampering the EU’s mobilization to counter-balance China and the United States. Macron’s rhetoric suggests that he wants to fight these symptoms. But his recent actions seem to be reproduc-ing them.

By: Mohammad Zahir Akbari

Sławomir Sierakowski, founder of the Krytyka Polityczna movement, is Director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Warsaw and Senior Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations.

Mohammad Zahir Akbari is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Af-ghanistan. He can be reached at mohammadzahirakbari@gmail.com

December 10, 20194forms, in particular through the drafting of a new long-term anti-corruption strategy that builds on previous successes.Recognizing that corruption impacts the lives of ordinary citizens each and every day, the UN will continue to support the work of the High Council for Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption, the new Ombud in-stitution, the Access to information Com-mission, the Attorney General’s Office and grassroots movements across all segments of society to rebuild integrity, accountabil-ity and transparency in the country.At an event in Kabul today, the United Na-tions, together with national and interna-tional partners, marked International Anti-Corruption Day, which has been observed annually on 9 December since the passage of the UN Convention Against Corruption on 31 October 2003. (Pajhwok)

(6) 3 ACB Workers ...disabled cricketers have also gone back to London, or are striving to do so,” Babrak continued.But Dr. Noman Massoud, ACB head of the disabled cricket team affairs, denied the players were hiding in London.ACB insisted the three individuals had returned to the country from their official trip. The ACB officials are said to have been sacked. (Pajhwok)

(7) Helmand Activists ...for a ceasefire from the government, the Taliban, the international community, and other parties,” said Wazir, a member of the movement.The activists initially launched a sit-in protest in Lashkargah City after a suicide bombing outside a stadium in March 2018. About a month later, a group of eight pro-testors left Helmand on foot for Kabul, all the while spreading messages of peace.They walked through towns and villages across provinces and met with residents along the way. And as they progressed their numbers grew. (TOLO NEWS)

(8) At Least ...discovered and neutralized.The Taliban have not yet commented on the incident. (THE KILLID GROUP)

(9) Putin Set for ... international sanctions being imposed against Moscow.Diplomats have emphasised that the issue of Crimea is not on the table at the sum-mit, which the Kremlin has confirmed will include a one-on-one meeting between Zelensky and Putin on Monday.Kiev has made clear its determination to never give up the peninsula, which the in-ternational community regards as part of Ukraine.The goals of Monday’s meeting include agreeing to disband illegal militias, the departure of foreign fighters from Do-netsk and Lugansk, and Ukraine taking back control over its border with Russia, according to a French presidential source.Also key is agreeing a calendar for elec-tions to be held in Donetsk and Lugansk, with the two regions enjoying a special status under Ukrainian law, an idea known as the Steinmeier Formula.“If the summit meeting is to be meaning-ful, it should have a result, and the result should very much be on the Steinmeier Formula,” said Gerhard Mangott, profes-sor of international relations at Austria’s Innsbruck University.For Macron, the summit is a centrepiece of an increasingly bold foreign policy he is driving despite troubles at home, where transport workers have been on strike for days in a dispute over pension reforms.Macron, who shocked NATO allies last month by declaring the alliance brain dead, has made clear his belief that Europe needs a strategic partnership with Russia. (AFP)

(10) 5 Dead, Many ...no contact with any of those who were missing.He said both New Zealanders and overseas tourists were among those who were dead, missing or injured. He said most of the 18 who survived were injured and some had suffered severe burns.Some of those involved were tourists from the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship Ovation of the Seas.“A number of our guests were touring the island today,” the company said. “We will offer all possible assistance to our guests and local authorities. Please keep all those affected in your prayers.”The cruise ship, which had left from Syd-ney last week, was scheduled to sail to the capital Wellington on Monday night but the company said it would instead re-main in the Tauranga port overnight until it learned more on the situation.Twelve people were killed on the island in 1914 when it was being mined for sulfur.

Part of a crater wall collapsed and a land-slide destroyed the miners’ village and the mine itself.The remains of buildings from another mining enterprise in the 1920s are now a tourist attraction, according to GeoNet. The island became a private scenic reserve in 1953, and daily tours allow more than 10,000 people to visit the volcano every year.The island is also known by the indig-enous Maori name Whakaari. (AP News)

(11) Israel Threatens ...Iran is trying to establish a ring of fire around our country, it is already based in Lebanon and is trying to establish in Syria, Gaza and more,” hawkish Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett claimed, speak-ing at a conference on Sunday. Noting that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would “work tirelessly” to fend off the alleged “Iranian threat,” Bennett said that it’s high time Israel moves from de-fense to offense.Doubling down on his claim that Iran is seeking to establish a permanent presence in Syria, Bennett invoked the disastrous Vietnam War to back up his point.Iran has repeatedly dismissed the allega-tions, pointing out that its military ad-visers embedded with the Syrian armed forces have been in the country legally, as they were invited and permitted to stay by Damascus, unlike the Israeli forces that violate international law with their bomb-ing raids.Bennett unleashed his dire warning days after Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz indicated that Tel Aviv would not shy away from a pre-emptive military strike against Iran if it thinks Tehran is making strides in the development of nuclear weapons. It’s an option. We will not allow Iran to produce or obtain nuclear weapons. If the only option left to us is the military op-tion, we’ll act militarily,” Katz told Italian Corriere Della Sera daily on Friday.While Israel, estimated to have an unde-clared nuclear arsenal of between 80 and 90 warheads, is fomenting fears over Iran possibly obtaining nukes, it remains con-spicuously tight-lipped about its own en-deavors in the field. Following a test of a mysterious “rocket propulsion system” by Israel on Friday, Tehran accused the Jew-ish state of testing a “nuke-missile, aimed at Iran.” It is believed that the Israeli mili-tary may have launched little-known Jeri-cho ballistic missiles, said to be capable of carrying a sizeable warhead. (RT)

(12) African Migrants ...California-based immigration lawyer, said despite obstacles African migrants faced, there was no evidence their numbers were slowing down. She said African migrants have arrived at the Mexico-Guatemala border every day.“What I think for me is shocking and just really sad is that a lot of these asylum seekers just don’t have enough representa-tion,” Alemayehu said. “They are in these hearings by themselves.”With the number of African migrants in-creasing, U.S. elected officials have taken notice.Last month, members from the Congres-sional Black Caucus visited black mi-grants at the border.“There are record numbers of African im-migrants seeking asylum at the U.S. bor-der, particularly as Europe closes its doors to migrants,” they said in a statement. (Fox News)

(13) China Claims ... told The Associated Press that the centers for “re-education” were essentially pris-ons where they were forced to renounce Islam and express gratitude to the ruling Communist Party. They were subject to indoctrination and torture, the detainees said.While Chinese authorities have described the detentions as a form of vocational training, classified documents recently leaked to a consortium of news organiza-tions revealed a deliberate strategy to lock up ethnic minorities even though they had not committed any crimes.Xu Hairong, the Communist Party chief of Urumqi city, Xinjiang’s capital, did not dispute the documents’ authenticity. He said, however, that there was no such thing as “detention camps.”Some ex-detainees have told AP they were forced to sign job contracts and barred from leaving factory grounds dur-ing weekdays, working long hours for low pay. Many Uighurs abroad also say their relatives are in prison, not camps, after being sentenced on vague charges of ex-tremism.During the briefing, officials played a clip from a documentary released last Friday by CGTN, the international branch of state

(1) Govt Needs ...that strengthen Afghanistan’s framework to fight corruption,” said Tadamichi Yama-moto, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan.“However, corruption continues to affect Afghan citizens’ daily lives and erode public confidence in government institu-tions; it is therefore crucial to focus now on implementing the laws and holding to account those who break them to demon-strate resolve to counter corruption,” he said.The statement also said that the UN ac-knowleges the “difficult security situation in which judges and prosecutors operate” and condemns targeted killing of justice officials.“Outstanding arrest warrants and sum-monses related to corruption investiga-tions, along with corresponding travel bans, are yet to be enforced. And many convicts have yet to be arrested to serve their sentences,” according to the state-ment. (TOLO NEWS)

(2) Turkey Calls ...has two chairs with Afghanistan as the per-manent chair, and a co-chair from among the member states that shifts each year.“The process aims to promote regional security, economic and political coopera-tion centered on Afghanistan through dia-logue and confidence building measures,” according to the organization’s website. (ANADOLU AGENCY)

(3) Tanwir: I Would ...member of Mohammad Asrhaf Ghani’s think tank and his statement reflects Ghani’s ideology”, Mohaqqiq said.Mohammad Bashir Tayanj, spokesperson for Junbesh Party led by General Abdul Rashid Dostum in reaction to Tanwir’s comments, told Khaama Press that Mo-hammad Haleem Tanwir intends to further spread hypocrisy and divide the nation of Afghanistan.“Tanwir has been away from the country for a long time, he is not aware of the re-alities and facts of the Afghanistan com-munity”, Tayanj said.“Mohammad Halim Tanwir spread hypoc-risy to divide the nation of Afghanistan, however, the nation is in need of love, friendship and brotherhood”, he added.The presidential office has not yet com-mented on Dr. Tanwir’s statements.Mohammad Halim Tanwir admits in the video clip that he is a follower and stu-dent of Mohammad Gul Khan Mohmand, a man who is popular for his biased be-havior during the kingdom of Mohammad Nader Shah, the father of King Zahir Shah.Mohammad Gul Mohmand was a senior advisor to King Mohammad Nader Shah, who suppressed other ethnicities and tribes, during his kingdom. (KHAAMA PRESS)

(4) Nakamura’s Death ...in the area. The system supplies water to 73 villages of Behsud district.A number of other residents held similar views and said Dr. Nakamura did a lot for them particularly for their lands.MirwaisYasini, a lawmaker from Nangar-har province, said Dr. Nakamura did for the Kunar river what no other Afghan did.He said the government had failed to save Dr. Nakamura and stressed the arrest of his killers. (Pajhwok)

(5) UN Reaffirms ...convicts have yet to be arrested to serve their sentences.The United Nations in Afghanistan main-tains that by standing united against cor-ruption with national partners in further implementing existing measures to fight corruption, and by developing new strat-egies, we are together standing up for justice, protecting the rule of law and in-creasing the chances that prosperity in the country can be enjoyed by all.“Strengthening efforts to eradicate cor-ruption while also promoting good gover-nance are essential for Afghanistan,” said Mark Colhoun, Afghanistan’s Country Representative for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). “To win the fight against corruption is to create the condi-tions necessary to effectively combat pov-erty and the inequalities that stem from it.”As guardian of the UN Convention against Corruption, UNODC helps all State par-ties, including Afghanistan, translate the Convention into effective action and ad-vance the global anti-corruption agenda. An important part of this is assisting prep-arations for the first-ever UN General As-sembly special session against corruption in 2021.The UN family in Afghanistan – including UNAMA, UNODC and the UN Develop-ment Programme – remains committed to supporting Afghanistan’s corruption re-

broadcaster CCTV. The documentary, called “Fighting Terrorism in Xinjiang,” showed old footage of terrorist attacks over the last decade, including bombings and stabbings such as the knife attack that killed 31 people outside a railway station in southern Kunming city in 2014. (AP News)

(14) North Korea Resumes ...proaches set by North Korea for Wash-ington to soften its stance in negotiations. Pyongyang has conducted a series of weapons tests and issued strongly worded statements.Though Trump regularly exchanged in-sults with North Korea in the first years of his term, both sides had abandoned per-sonal attacks after Trump met North Ko-rean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore in 2018.The North Korean official said the coun-try’s leader may change his views toward Trump if the president continues uttering “inappropriate, highly risky words and ex-pressions”.He pointed to remarks by Trump on Sun-day that Kim had “far too much to lose” and did not want to interfere with an up-coming U.S. presidential election.Commercial satellite images taken on Sat-urday by Planet Labs showed vehicles and equipment likely to be used in a rocket engine experiment, said Jeffrey Lewis, the director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of In-ternational Studies in California.“They are mostly gone on Dec. 8, but the ground appears to have been disturbed by the exhaust from the test,” Lewis said, cit-ing photos captured on Sunday.Asked on Monday if it had been an engine test, a spokeswoman for South Korea’s de-fense ministry said site monitoring and de-tailed analysis were under way with U.S. intelligence authorities. (Reuters)

(15) Poland’s PGNIG ...which is close to the Polish border. An exploration well will first be drilled to a depth of up to 2,500 metres, and geophysi-cal surveys will be performed to select fur-ther well locations. Work will commence once all relevant approvals and permits have been secured.“Since we established a business relation-ship with our Polish partner four years ago, we have noticed a positive shift in the investment climate in Ukraine and we are ready to take advantage of it to jointly invest in and expand upstream operations. We consider it the first of the many op-portunities the Ukrainian energy sector has to offer in the coming years,” Manag-ing Partner at ERU Management Services LLC Dale W. Perry said.PGNiG is Poland’s largest oil and gas company engaged in the development of gas and oil fields, production, storage and transportation of energy, as well as the construction and development of the oil and gas transportation network, gas export and import.Energy Resources of Ukraine (ERU) is a group of companies with foreign invest-ment, specializing in the implementation of projects in the Ukrainian energy sec-tor. The ERU group belongs to Yaroslav Mudry and Perry. It is one of the largest private importers of natural gas. In July 2019, it was the first to import electric en-ergy from Europe. (Interfax)

(16) French Strike ...unveils the full details of its plans for a single points-based pension scheme that does away with dozens of more advanta-geous plans enjoyed by train drivers, sail-ors, lawyers and other professions.- ‘A monstrosity’ -Critics argue that the shake-up will require people in both the public and private sec-tor to work longer for a smaller retirement payout.Teachers are expected to walk out again for the second time in a week Tuesday, leading to widespread school closures.Firefighters, electricity workers and “yel-low vest” anti-government demonstrators have also joined railway workers in the streets in recent days.The government’s pensions envoy Jean-Paul Delevoye, who drafted the reforms, and Health Minister Agnes Buzyn will meet with trade unions on Monday to try to negotiate an end to the deadlock.The strike has drawn comparisons with late 1995 when three weeks of strikes forced the then centre-right government to withdraw its pension reforms.Adrien Quatennens, a lawmaker from the far-left France Unbowed party, acknowl-edged on LCI radio that the strike was hard on businesses and commuters, but said: “It’s better to endure a few weeks of hassle than... years of hardship” in retire-ment. (AFP)

(17) Cambodia to Start ...which is considering whether to remove lucrative trade privileges from Cambodia over its crackdown on the opposition, ac-tivists and the media.The only evidence presented against him in public so far is a comment he made at a public meeting in which he said he was getting advice from unspecified Ameri-cans on election strategy ahead of a 2013 ballot. (Reuters)

(18) World’s Fastest ... coastal defenses in October. The land-based version of the BrahMos system was displayed at an arms expo in Manila last week. India has been in similar talks with other countries, including Vietnam, Thai-land and Indonesia.BrahMos was developed jointly by In-dia and Russia, and is described as the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile. Aside from a land-based version, it can be launched from a jet, a ship or a submarine. Its upgraded model is said to have a range of up to 500kmNew Delhi successfully test-fired the mis-sile from a Su-30 aircraft last spring. The tests of the land-based and ship-based ver-sions of BrahMos followed this fall. (RT)

(19) Japan PM ...men to the region to guard ships supplying Japan.“As one of those efforts, we are currently in talks about a visit by President Rouhani to Japan,” he added.Abe did not give details but local media reported the visit could take place on Dec. 20 or 21.The Nikkei business daily said last week the government would propose deploying one escort ship and a patrol aircraft from the Maritime Self-Defense Force on a one-year mission that could be renewed annu-ally. It plans to finalize the plan by year-end, the Nikkei said.Abe visited Iran in July and met with Rou-hani and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatol-lah Ali Khamenei, during which Khamenei reiterated Iran’s stance that it has no inten-tion of making or using nuclear weapons. (Trend)

(20) ‘Follow Your Passion’ ...is important to expect that life will take “a downward trajectory”, the prime minister said.“You should expect [setbacks]. Life al-ways goes around in cycles, it is never a straight line,” he said.He lauded Minister of Science and Tech-nology Fawad Chaudhry for showing “passion for a ministry that no one cared about” in the past.“People said that our government did not take technological development seriously; you have made Fawad Chaudhry the min-ister of science and technology,” he said, drawing chuckles from Chaudhry.“But a good captain knows which player should play on which number,” the prime minister added. He regretted that Paki-stan, that was once a confident nation, had become dependant on others, “even for ideas”.“I am almost as old as Pakistan and I have seen the phase when Pakistanis were op-timistic and confident. I have seen that phase as well […] We had confidence and self-belief and a major reason for it was a system of meritocracy.“The development in Pakistan during the ’60s was not due to outsiders, it was due to our own systems, our own institutions.”The NSTP is Pakistan’s biggest “inno-vation and research ecosystem” and its launch comes days after the inauguration of Digital Pakistan Vision.The technology park would provide a plat-form for more than 40 companies, which would include start-ups as well as small-medium enterprises. It will also house es-tablished digital companies, Radio Paki-stan reported.The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) gov-ernment has laid special emphasis on the technological development of the country and has taken several steps to incorpo-rate technology in the governance system, maintenance of law and order by launch-ing mobile applications including the much-trumpeted Pakistan Citizen Portal. (Pakistan Today)

(21) President: ...implementation of projects to form modern transcontinental communication corridors connecting Europe and Asia, providing optimal land and sea cargo transportation routes. (Trend)

(22) Russian FM Lavrov ...this university in 1972 (eastern depart-ment). During the studies, he mastered three languages (English, French and Sin-hala) and even wrote a hymn for the uni-versity. (Trend)

International5

Neighbor News

5 Dead, Many More Missing in Eruption of New Zealand Volcano

President: Turkmenistan Aims to Strengthen Dialogue

with Azerbaijan

Russian FM Lavrov to Visit Uzbekistan in January 2020

‘Follow Your Passion’: PM Imran Tells Success

Mantra to Youth

North Korea Resumes Insults of ‘Erratic Old

Man’ Trump

Poland’s PGNIG, Ukraine’s ERU to Start Gas Exploration,

Production in Lviv Region - Contract

French Strike Chaos Deepens in Crucial Week for

Macron

World’s Fastest Supersonic Cruise Missiles, developed by Russia &

India, To Be Purchased by Philippines Next Year

Cambodia to Start Opposition Leader

Trial in January

China Claims Everyone in Xinjiang Camps Has ‘Graduated’

Japan PM Abe Discussing Japan Visit by Iranian

President Rouhani

African Migrants Heading to US-Mexico Border in Record Numbers in 2019

ASHGABAT - One of the most important vectors of Turkmeni-stan’s foreign policy is to strengthen the tradi-tional good-neighborly dialogue with Azer-baijan, the country’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said, Trend reports with ref-erence to the Turkmen State News Agency.The president made the remark during an ex-panded meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers.Being maritime neigh-bors on the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are interest-ed in using alternative routes for their energy carriers to be exported to Europe.Turkmenistan is one of the key players in the energy market of the Caspian region and

TASHKENT - Russian Foreign Minister Ser-gey Lavrov will pay an official visit to Uzbeki-stan in January 2020, was announced during the event dedicated to the opening of a branch of the Moscow State In-stitute of International Relations (MGIMO) in Uzbekistan’s capital of Tashkent, Trend re-ports citing Uzbek me-dia.“The visit is scheduled for mid-January next year. Among other items of the agenda, there is a visit of the Russian minister to the Moscow State Institute of International Rela-tions’ branch and the University of World Economy and Interna-tional Relations. Ser-gey Lavrov promised to give short lectures on a topic that will in-

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday urged the youth to follow their passion in order to suc-ceed while addressing an event at the National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST).The premier was speak-ing at the launch cer-emony of Pakistan’s first National Science and Technology Park (NSTP) at NUST in Islamabad. The cer-emony had Chief of the Army Staff General Qa-mar Javed Bajwa, in ad-

TEHRAN - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday that Tokyo is in dis-cussions about a visit to Japan by Iranian President Hassan Rou-hani this month, an at-tempt to try to resolve Iran’s nuclear impasse with the United States, Trend with reference to Reuters reports.He also said Japan wants to make ev-ery possible effort to promote Middle East peace.Japan maintains friend-ly ties with both the United States and Iran, and has tried to ease tension between the

KYIV - Poland’s PGNiG SA and Ukraine’s ERU Group have signed a contract on exploration and production of natu-ral gas in Lviv region, PGNIG said in a press release posted on its website.“We are consistently pursuing our strategy to expand PGNiG’s foreign operations. The agreement we have signed today will allow us to explore for natural

PYONGYANG - Satel-lite imagery indicated on Monday that North Korea had tested a rocket engine, and a senior Pyongyang of-ficial called Donald Trump a “heedless and erratic old man”, resuming insults of the U.S. president that had been set aside during a thaw.The statement carried in state media KCNA by Kim Yong Chol, a ruling party vice chair-man who was instru-mental in arranging

NEW DELHI - The Philippines is on course to become the first foreign nation to acquire BrahMos, the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile, which was jointly developed by India and Russia, according to a report.“As far as the Philippines Army is concerned, the consensus on the BrahMos system is a done deal,” a source familiar with the talks told the Hindustan Times.The source mentioned that New Delhi may of-fer a preferential loan to Manila for the pur-chase, and the cost will determine how many systems the Philippines will end up buying.The Philippines Army confirmed its interest in purchasing the weapon to strengthen the na-tion’s...(More on P4)...(18)

PARIS - France’s transport chaos deepened Monday on the fifth day of a nationwide strike over pension reforms, ramping up tensions at the start of a crucial week in Presi-dent Emmanuel Macron’s bat-tle with trade unions.With only two of the Paris metro’s 16 lines running as normal and suburban trains also heavily disrupted, many commuters slipped behind the wheel to try to get to work in torrential rain, causing major gridlock.By 9 am, the tailbacks in the Paris area ran to 600 kilome-tres (370 miles), twice the nor-mal level, the Sytadin moni-toring website said.Large queues formed at bus stops following an announce-ment that one out of two buses would be running but striking workers blocked seven out of 25 bus depots, leaving more travellers stranded.With many having opted to work from home last week and only now returning to the workplace, this week will test public support for the strike.A poll Sunday in the Jour-nal du Dimanche newspa-per showed 53 percent of the French supporting the strike or expressing sympathy for their demands, up six points in a week.Unions have called a second day of mass protests for Tues-day, a day before the govern-ment ...(More on P4)...(16)

PHNOM PENH - The trial of Cambodian op-position leader Kem Sokha on treason charg-es will begin on Jan. 15, a court said on Mon-day. Kem Sokha was arrested in 2017 and his opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) banned ahead of an election last year that was condemned by Western countries, who have demanded his release by veteran authoritarian leader Hun Sen.Last week the court in Phnom Penh said in-vestigators found enough evidence to pro-ceed with the case.“The Phnom Penh Municipal Court will hold trial for the accused Kem Sokha on treason charges... on January 15, 2020,” the court’s spokesman Y Rin told Reuters.Defense lawyers did not immediately re-spond to requests for comment.Kem Sokha was freed from house arrest last month but a ban on his engaging in political activity was kept in place.His release has been demanded by the Euro-pean Union, ...(More on P4)...(17)

Central Asia. Turkmen-istan’s hydrocarbon resources can be con-nected to the western route via the Caspian Sea, thanks to the con-struction of the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline. Traveling about 300 kilometers along the Caspian seabed to the coast of Azerbaijan, en-ergy resources can be transported from there to Turkey and further to Europe.Stable transportation of Turkmen oil through Azerbaijan in recent years can be named as an illustrative example of a mutually benefi-cial cooperation. The geographical position of the two states also creates favorable con-ditions for the effective joining of efforts in the ...(More on P4)...(21)

terest everyone,” said Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Ka-milov.On December 9, a cer-emony was held to mark the opening of the branch of the famous Russian university in Tashkent.The event was attended by Kamilov as well as Russian and Uzbek dip-lomats and business-men. Rector of MGIMO Anatoly Torkunov, professors and teachers of the university also participated in the cer-emony.The upcoming visit of the Russian minister to the capital of Uzbeki-stan and his visit to the Moscow State In-stitute of International Relations branch are not accidental. Lavrov himself graduate from ...(More on P4)...(22)

dition to students and members of the faculty in attendance.This was the first pub-lic appearance of Prime Minister Imran and Gen Bajwa together af-ter the latter’s extension was briefly halted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.“You are the students of Pakistan’s best uni-versity […] You have more responsibility,” he told the students in attendance.In order to develop, it ...(More on P4)...(20)

countries, which broke off diplomatic relations after Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution.Citing a senior diplo-matic source, Kyodo news agency reported last week that Iran had proposed the visit and that the proposal was relayed during a two-day visit to Japan by Iran’s deputy foreign minister for political af-fairs Abbas Araqchi.Abe said Japan would make every effort to promote peace in the Middle East but did not specify when there might be a decision on sending Japanese sea...(More on P4)...(19)

AFRICA - The num-bers of African mi-grants heading to the U.S. through its border with Mexico have more than doubled in the past year, recent data from the federal government showed.In 2019, about 5,800 Afri-can migrants headed to the U.S. by way of Mex-ico, according to data cited by the Los Angeles Times on Sunday. Last year, that figure was 2,700, the report said. The 2019 figures have shown a significant rise since 2007, when Mexi-co first included African migrants in its annual migration reports. That year, the number of Af-

BEIJING — People who were at voca-tional training centers in China’s far west Xinjiang have all” graduated” and are living happy lives, an official said Monday. But Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minor-ities from the region say their family members continue to be arbitrarily detained in camps and prisons.Shohrat Zakir, Xinjiang’s Uighur governor, made the remarks during a press briefing as part of a strident propaganda campaign launched fol-lowing U.S. Congress’ approval last week of the Uighur Human Rights Policy Act. “When the lives of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang were

WHAKATANE, New Zea-land — A volcanic island in New Zealand erupted Monday in a tower of ash and steam while dozens of tourists were exploring the moon-like surface, kill-ing five people and leaving many more missing.Police said the site was still too dangerous hours later for rescuers to search for the missing.Police Deputy Commis-sioner John Tims said the number of missing was in the double digits but he couldn’t confirm an ex-act number. He said there were fewer than 50 people

rican migrants was only 460. Guerline Jozef, the director and co-founder of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, said she was surprised to meet mi-grants from Haiti, Congo, Cameroon, and Sierra Leone waiting to enter the U.S. from Ti-

juana back in 2016.“At the time, honestly, I did not believe it,” she said. “Not, almost four years later, we have thousands and thousands of black mi-grants.”Rebecca Alemayehu, a ...(More on P4)...(12)

seriously threatened by terrorism, the U.S. turned a deaf ear,” Zakir said at a press briefing. “On the contrary, now that Xinjiang society is steadily developing and people of all ethnici-ties are living and working in peace, the U.S. feels uneasy, and attacks and smears Xinjiang.”The U.S. legislation condemns the mass detentions of an estimated more than 1 million Uighurs, Kazakhs and others. It also raises possible sanc-tions against Chinese government of-ficials deemed responsible for human rights abuses in Xinjiang.Former detainees and their relatives have...(More on P4)...(13)

on the island when it erupted and 23 had been taken off, including the five dead.

gas in a very promising region. I am confident that our partnership with ERU will con-tribute to building the value of both compa-nies,” President of the Management Board of PGNiG SA Piotr Woz-niak said.The agreement be-tween ERU and PG-NiG provides for joint operations on a licence located in Lviv region, ...(More on P4)...(15)

a failed second sum-mit in February, was the strongest salvo yet in a war of words that has rekindled in recent days.He described Trump as impatient, rebuked him over his own rhetoric and repeated a threat from last week that Pyongyang would dust off its previous insult “dotard” for the U.S. leader.Tensions have been ris-ing in recent weeks as a year-end deadline ap...(More on P4)...(14)

Israel Threatens Iran with ‘Own Vietnam in Syria,’ Refuses to Rule Out Pre-Emptive Strike

JERUSALEM - Ramping up his war-mongering rhetoric, Israel’s defense chief has said Syria can become Iran’s ‘Vietnam’ and vowed to prevent Tehran from gaining a foothold there. It comes after Tel Aviv threat-ened Iran with a pre-emptive strike.Israel, which is making incursions into Syria on almost a daily basis, pummeling the war-rav-aged country with mis-siles under the pretext of targeting “Iranian posi-

tions” there, has warned Iran against establishing

“a ring of fire” around Israel, vowing retalia-

tion. “It is no secret that ...(More on P4)...(11)

Tims said experts had told them the island remained unstable but search and rescue teams

wanted to get back as quickly as they could. He said there had been ...(More on P4)...(10)

December 10, 2019MOSCOW - Russian leader Vladimir Putin will hold formal talks Monday for the first time with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky over the conflict in Ukraine’s east, at a highly anticipated summit in Paris.No comprehensive peace deal is ex-pected from the afternoon meeting -- mediated by French President Em-manuel Macron and German Chan-cellor Angela Merkel -- but diplomats hope the exercise will help to bolster trust between the two men.Thousands have been killed and one million have fled their homes since pro-Russia militias in eastern Ukraine launched a bid for independence in 2014 -- kicking off a conflict that deep-ened Russia’s estrangement from the West.The separatists seized control of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions shortly after Russia’s annexation of the Ukrai-nian peninsula of Crimea. The seizure gave Putin a popularity boost but led to...(More on P4)...(9)

Putin Set for Landmark Paris Talks on Ukraine Conflict

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KABUL - Marking International Anti-Corruption Day, the United Nations reiterated its support to Afghanistan’s initiatives to fight corruption, acknowledged steps made to challenge impunity and highlights the pressing need for demonstrable progress in counter-ing the blight, a statement said on Monday.“The United Nations welcomes the legislative, policy and institu-tional improvements that strength-en Afghanistan’s framework to fight corruption,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN Secretary-Gen-eral’s Special Representative for Afghanistan.“However, corruption continues to affect Afghan citizens’ daily lives and erode public confidence in government institutions; it is there-fore crucial to focus now on im-plementing the laws and holding to account those who break them to demonstrate resolve to counter corruption.”The United Nations has supported

Thimphu Bhutan, 8 December 2019 – The SAARC Development Fund (SDF) celebrated 35th SAARC Charter Day today. The SAARC Charter establishing South Asian Association for Regional Coop-eration (SAARC) was adopted on 8 December 1985 by the SAARC Heads of State or Government during their first-ever Summit in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The SAARC Charter recognizes the region’s shared history and common destiny, and the deter-mination of the SAARC Member States - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - to foster mutual understanding, friend-ship and cooperation for peace and prosperity. The objective of SAARC is to accelerate the process of social, economic and cultural development in the region. In April 2010, SAARC Develop-ment Fund was inaugurated by the Heads of States/Governments of SAARC Member States during the Sixteenth SAARC Summit held in Thimphu, Bhutan.CEO of SDF, Dr Sunil Motiwal, said that the SAARC Develop-ment Fund, as an umbrella finan-cial institution for SAARC projects and programs is fully committed to promote “Regional Integra-tion and Economic Cooperation among the SAARC Member States through project funding and col-laboration.” He said that SAARC Development Fund continues to undertake a number of initiatives for the strategic growth of the SAARC region, such as forging relationships with partners for taking up joint initiatives and co-funding of projects. Currently, SDF is implementing

Afghanistan’s steps to fight corrup-tion, including through the new Penal Code, the Access to Infor-mation Law, the Anti-corruption Law and the 2017 Anti-Corruption Strategy.In close collaboration with inter-national partners, the United Na-tions provided advisory, capacity-building and mentoring support to the Anti-Corruption Justice Centre (ACJC), which was established in 2016.The United Nations acknowledged the difficult security situation in which judges and prosecutors operate and condemned targeted killing of justice officials. While the ACJC had been adjudicating corruption cases, the United Na-tions notes that the Centre has yet to serve as an effective deterrent to high-level corruption. Outstand-ing arrest warrants and summons-es related to corruption investiga-tions, along with corresponding travel bans, are yet to be enforced. And many ...(More on P4)...(5)

90 projects in all SAARC Member States under its Social, Economic and Infrastructure funding win-dows with a total fund commit-ment/allocation of USD 198.24 million. 48 projects (in 7 areas) have been successfully completed to benefit thousands of people in SAARC Member States.The 35th SAARC Charter Day cel-ebration brought together high-ranking government officials, resident Ambassadors, heads of international organizations, civil society representatives and imple-menting agencies of SDF funded projects, among others for an even-ing of music and food from eight SAARC Member States. Hon’ble Foreign Minister Lyonpo Dr Tandi Dorji said that SAARC has seen substantial progress but there have also been a lot of chal-lenges. “The vision of SAARC to foster cooperation among the coun-tries and to work towards prosper-ity and wellbeing of the people, all the eight SAARC countries have been working hard towards this vision,” he said. He commended SDF for implementing the regional projects towards alleviating pov-erty and improving the welfare of the people of this region. In his address at the program, CEO SDF, Dr. Sunil Motiwal said that further, more than 10 bankable projects are also under active con-sideration of SDF to co-finance in SAARC Member States. “On SAARC Charter Day, SDF avails itself of the opportunity to renew its commitment and would like thank the people and the gov-ernments of eight SAARC Member States for your conviction and sup-port for the strategic growth of this region,” said Dr Motiwal. (PR)

UN Reaffirms Support to Afghanistan in Fight Against Corruption

SAARC Development Fund Celebrates SAARC

Charter Day

US-Taliban Negotiations in Doha Enters 3rd Day

Nakamura’s Death Orphans Kunar River, Nangarhar Deserts

Taliban Ready for Conditional Ceasefire with US

Japanese Envoy Vows to Complete Nakamura’s Projects in Afghanistan

KABUL - Addressing a gathering organised by the National Stabil-ity Association Japan envoy to Kabultermed the killing of Naka-mura a huge loss.According to reports, Japanese Humanitarian Worker Dr. Naka-mura initially served the people of Afghanistan in medical and lately started irrigation and agri-culture projects in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces.Ziaulhaq Amarkhel, presidential advisor and head of the National Stability Association, termed Na-kamura’s work in agriculture sec-tor vital for Afghanistan.“The enemy removed Nakamura from the people of Afghanistan, but it could never remove him from the hearts of the people of Afghanistan,” he said.Lawmaker Malak Qais Noor Agha asked the government to arrest and punish the killers of Nakamura.Last week, unknown gunmen opened fire at the vehicle of the Peace Japan Medical Services (PMS) chief, who was rushed to

KABUL - The new round of talks between the US and Tali-ban will enter third day today (Monday) in Doha, the capital of Qatari.The United States and Taliban resumed peace talks in Doha on Saturday -- almost two months after President Donald Trump abruptly halted the process.Spokesman for Taliban’s Qatar office Sohail Shaheen told Pajh-wok Afghan News the two sides discussed a range of issues over the past two days of talks.He said Taliban negotiators

JALALABD - Residents of Kama, Khewa, Dar-i-Noor and Behsud districts of eastern Nan-garhar province say they have been in shock at the killing of Japanese physician and devot-ed aid worker Dr. Nakamura, saying his death left the Kunar’s River and Nangarhar deserts or-phaned.They say Dr. Nakamura was the first man who took a lot of ben-efits from the Kunar’s river and rehabilitated and irrigated some Nangarhar’s deserts.

KABUL - Taliban say they are willing to announce a ceasefire with US forces in Afghanistan if they halt all military operations against the militant movement.Taliban negotiators conveyed their position to US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and NATO commander in Afghani-stan Gen. Scott Miller in Doha, according to The News.Unnamed Taliban sources in Qatar and Afghanistan told the newspaper they had resumed the peace process from where it was halted by President Donald Trump in September.“Much of the peace process has already been discussed and agreed upon by the two sides and the US may announce the

a local hospital. The NGO chief came under attack on his way to inspect a project“Dr. Nakamura’s driver and four of his bodyguards were killed in the shooting,” said Attaullah

were led by Mullah Abdul Gha-ni Baradar while the US team was headed by Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad.

peace accord either over Christ-mas or the New Year,” one Tali-ban leader privy to the talks was quoted as saying.This time around, the Taliban

Included among Taliban nego-tiator was Anas Haqqani, who was recently released from Bagram prison. Gen. Scott Miller

said, they believed the US was serious about the peace parleys. They called the US military com-mander’s participation in the ne-gotiation as an important move.

also attended the negotiations.After the peace deal, Taliban would facilitate US pullout and stop attacking American forces, Shaheen explained.The Taliban would also stop attacks on Afghan forces after reaching an agreement with Kabul in intra-Afghan talks, Shaheen told BBC.Earlier, the US special envoy met President Ashraf Ghani and other political figures in Kabul, which says a ceasefire is a con-dition for starting negotiations with the Taliban. (Pajhwok)

Dr. Nakamura was gunned down with five Afghans in a roadside shooting a few days back in Jalalabad City, the pro-vincial capital.

His body on Monday arrived in his home prefecture of Fukuoka in southwestern Japan accompa-nied by members of his family.Unknown gunmen opened fire

at the vehicle of the Peace Japan Medical Service (PMS) chief, who was rushed to a local hos-pital. The NGO chief came un-der attack on his way to inspect a project.The Nangarhar governor today said two suspects had been ar-rested in connection with the at-tack on Nakamura. Dr. Nakamura constructed wa-ter head for Behsud district bringing under irrigation large swaths of land ...(More on P4)...(4)

“We have given them two op-tions --either we announce a complete ceasefire in case they stop operations against us (Tali-ban) or we stop targeting them in areas from where they withdraw their troops.”Khalilzad and Miller reportedly shared with the Taliban the ex-act locations of their bases and installations. “They wanted to ensure security of these installa-tions and their non-governmen-tal organisations even after their withdrawal…”Taliban leaders acknowledged US forces had considerably re-duced operations and airstrikes against rebels, particularly after President Donald Trump’s visit to Afghanistan. (Pajhwok)

Khogyani, the provincial govern-ment spokesman the previous day, adding the gunmen fled and police were investigating the inci-dent.Dr. Nakamura did a lot of works

for development of agriculture, irrigation, healthcare and educa-tion and won people’s hearts. His services to the people earned him the nickname ‘’Uncle Murad.” (Pajhwok)

Japanese Ambassador to Afghanistan Mitsuji Suzuka on Monday pledged to complete projects launched by slain Dr. Nakamura in Afghanistan.